ADM Ottawa Physiotherapy | Bells Corners | Montreal Road
Golfer preparing to swing on a golf course

Golfer’s Back: Why Your Swing Could Be the Problem

Late summer is peak season on Ottawa’s courses — tee times at Loch March, Eagle Creek, and The Marshes are booked solid, weeknight leagues are in full swing, and everyone’s trying to squeeze in a few more rounds before the weather turns. It’s also the point in the season when our clinic starts hearing the same complaint, over and over: a tight, achy low back that shows up somewhere around the back nine, or the next morning, and doesn’t seem to want to leave.

The instinct is to blame the game itself — or just chalk it up to getting older. But in the clinic, that’s rarely the real story. The golf swing is one of the fastest rotational movements in sport, and when the body can’t rotate well somewhere else, the low back ends up doing work it was never built to do, swing after swing, round after round.

Here’s what’s actually happening in a golf swing, why it tends to catch up with people exactly this time of year, and what helps — beyond just “swinging easier.”

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Stay Steady This Summer: Balance and Fall Prevention for Ottawa’s Busiest Season

Gatineau Park’s trails are packed again, the Rideau Canal pathway is thick with cyclists and runners, cottage traffic is backed up on the 417 every Friday, and half the city seems to be standing on a dock somewhere. After a long winter of staying close to home, Ottawa moves in the summer — and moves fast.

Which is exactly why this is the season we see the most trips, stumbles, and the occasional real fall. Not usually from anything dramatic — a foot catching a root on a shaded trail, a slick patch on a dock ramp, a missed step off a curb while looking at a patio menu instead of the ground. One bad landing can turn into a sprained ankle that sidelines the rest of your summer.

Here’s the part people don’t always expect: balance isn’t just something that declines with age. It’s a trainable skill, like strength or flexibility, and it quietly gets rusty in anyone — hiker, cottage-goer, weekend athlete, frequent flyer — who spends most of the year on flat, predictable ground. Let’s look at what actually keeps you upright, why summer is when it gets tested hardest, and a few things you can do about it.

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Full shot of woman taking reformer Pilates

Pilates Benefits Nobody Talks About (But Should)

When most people think of Pilates, they picture slow movements, core work, and maybe something “gentle.” Usually, they are thinking of mat Pilates, but there is a whole other side: Reformer Pilates. Regardless of the method, pilates offers far more than flat abs or flexibility. From a physiotherapy perspective, Pilates is one of the most underrated tools for long-term movement health

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close up employee man massage on his hand and arm for relief pain from hard working ,carpal tunnel syndrome concept

Treating Carpal Tunnel Without Surgery

If you are looking for carpal tunnel treatment in Ottawa, you are not alone — 3-6% of adults in the general population will experience carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that occurs in the wrist causing pain, numbness and tingling. It happens when the median nerve, a nerve that runs through the wrist, becomes compressed. This is due to a narrowing of the passageway called the carpal tunnel. 

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